Darkness
by holydarknessrising
Summary: Riku's night terrors relating to the darkness... One shot, but might be expanded.
1. One

The lightning lit up the night sky and the storm raged, the windows shaking from the booming thunder. The raindrops pelted like gun fire, rat-a-tatting onto the glass panes with such force that it was a miracle any of them slept at all. Of course, on the islands, tropical storms were nothing to be afraid of, they were normal occurrences and storm windows were so far developed that not even the peach pit sized hail they saw in winter could penetrate them.

Still, he couldn't sleep, the noise was just too much, and the thought of the dreams coming again… He couldn't bear it. He hadn't slept in how long… He couldn't even remember anymore. His system simply went along on caffeine and the occasional cat-nap caught during the day while he was supposed to be doing whatever his friends were. Dark shadows rimmed his eyes, his mind, his vision… Everything was in shadow.

The shadows seemed to swirl, to grope at him, to develop unfeeling amber eyes that penetrated his soul ravenously, and there was nothing he could do about it. Each night, he'd keep the light on, so he could cling to something, the warmth, the friendly yellow-glow… the knowledge that there weren't dark places around him. The TV was tuned to something he didn't care to watch in the corner, but he didn't care, it was the noise he longed for, anything to keep the voices out of his head. That was why his stereo played as well.

But then, electronics could only keep you company for so long… Especially during a storm. Battery-operated camp lanterns were on around his room, their empty halogen lights burning bright, new cylindrical bulbs in each of them. An especially violent crash of thunder, an unbearably bright flash of lightning, a heavy thud at his window… The lights were out.

Riku turned to stare out the window, looking for the origin of the thud, but there was nothing there, and he was alone in his room, with only the lights. He quickly turned on his personal CD player, slipping the headphones on his ears and listening to the calming, happy techno-pop he'd borrowed from Selphie for this exact reason… The thud came again.

His silver-haired head snapped to the direction and again saw nothing, but out of the corner of his eyes, he thought he spied a shadowy form at the other window. He turned, but there was nothing there either. Quickly, Riku got up and shut his blinds and curtains, not daring to look outside, and cursing himself for not thinking to do so earlier, but perhaps that was a mistake.

As soon as the windows were covered, they began to be pounded upon, as if something were knocking at them, both of them, on the second story of his house, with no roof and no balcony to prop someone up, not even a tree. Frightened, he sat on his bed, turning the CD player up to drown out the sounds of the knocking, inside a the circle of lanterns he'd made around his room.

He thought he'd heard the pounding stop and he removed the headphones, hearing silence, besides a light tap-tap-tapping from the rain and the blare of music from the headphones, but no knocking, no pounding. He inhaled deeply, filling his chest with the sweet air of relief and closed his eyes, only for a moment. He exhaled the deep breath, feeling more calm now, and opened his eyes again.

There was nothing to be afraid of, he was just being paranoid. If Sora knew of his fears, he'd laugh at him. Riku smiled, thinking of Sora, then Kairi. His best friends, they were there for him. He could call them. He picked up the phone, pressing the "call" button and holding it to his ear to check for a dial tone. He heard static, grating and unpleasant, but that wasn't the only sound.

"Open… the… window…" The voice was raspy, as if part of the static itself and had a haunting quality. Riku felt his blood run cold, and his body tense, all his hair standing on in. He even ceased breathing noticeably.

Riku quickly pressed the "call" button again, hanging up the phone and picking up his cell phone. He opened the silver flip phone, pressing the call button to check for a dial tone again, and this time, he head it. He calmed again, releasing his breath and holding down the number "1" key to call Sora. He heard the dialing and then a click. Sora didn't answer, no one did. It was as if the line went dead, but his cell phone… That couldn't happen. Even if it was deactivated, he could still make calls, they'd just cost a fortune.

Ragged breathing began on the other line, and Riku froze again.

"Riku…" He froze even more, all his senses seemingly shut down, one thought running through his mind again and again. _It knows my name… It knows my name…_

"Open… the… window…"

Riku clapped the phone shut, dropping it on the floor, it skidding to a stop three feet away. There was no one to turn to. He was utterly alone. He heard the music stop. Looking down, Riku pressed the on button, but apparently the batteries had died. He hadn't replaced them in a couple of weeks, so it wasn't odd. Still, he couldn't help but to grow more frightened.

A lantern flickered. _That can't happen…_ Riku thought, _I replaced those batteries and bulbs today…_ It continued to flicker, on and off, at an incredibly rapid pace. The pace at which the light died slowed, until it was every minute. On… Off… On… Off… The lantern didn't come back on again. _Don't worry… There are nine more._

As if reading his thoughts, each of the nine remaining lanterns died, though it was instant. Eight still on… Seven… Six… Five… Four… Three… Two… One… He was in total darkness. He hugged his knees to his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible. He felt something rake over his arm, and then pain… Liquid dripped down, he'd been cut. His other arm felt the same now, as did his calves… Something was trying to kill him.

"Open… your… eyes…" said the rasping, terribly cold voice, _right in front of him._ Riku's mind began to race, and his pulse quickened to an even more dangerous rate. _How does it know my eyes are closed? It's pitch black…_ "Open… your… eyes…" the voice was now more demanding, even more malicious, if that was possible.

Riku opened his eyes, but saw nothing. He felt cold, so cold… He was shivering. His arms and legs stung, and he felt the blood beginning to dry, though it still flowed down him. The cuts must have been deep.

"Look… up…"

_Why? thought Riku._

"Look… Up…"

"…why?…" whispered Riku, his voice inaudible.

"Look. Up."

"…Why?…" his voice was slightly more audible now, though he could barely hear it himself.

"Look up…"

"…Why?"

"Look up." The voice was now much more insistent, much more dangerous than it had been.

"Why?" he whispered, now his voice strong.

"Look up!"

"Why?" Riku asked, in a normal voice, though cracked and frightened, now it was stronger, strong enough to hear.

"LOOK UP!" He felt his head being jerked up by sharp fingers, fingers that were inhuman and strangely the same as his, and he knew… He knew he'd angered it, whatever it was, and he didn't care to think of what would happen next. He felt liquid trickling in small drops down his chin and neck. The fingers must have punctured it.

Riku looked forward, and saw nothing, but then, it came into focus. Not all of it, but some. He could see an eye, an oddly human, entirely inhuman eye, yellow and red and orange, malevolent and angry, filled with hatred. Hatred for him. He saw a mouth, cruel white fangs voracious in anticipation shining in a light that was not in the room, they were small, but they were covered with blood, as if it had cut its gums with its teeth. Riku knew it hadn't bit him, he hadn't felt anything so small pierce his skin, the only thing it had done was to scratch his arms with the fingers… or claws… or whatever they were.

Apparently, this creature was human-like, long strands of hair passing over both eye and mouth as it stood… Was it swaying? Riku couldn't see it, nor did he want to.

"Riku…"

Riku screwed his eyes shut, expecting the worst. This creature… so vile… would it finally kill him tonight?

"Riku…" the voice was less raspy now, almost familiar and inviting… Still, it wasn't safe to open his eyes. It could kill him, it _would _kill him.

"Riku…"

"Go away!"

"You're sure cranky when you get up!" exclaimed the voice of Sora.

Riku opened his eyes, he was laying in the sand of their play island. He was safe, there were no cuts on him, it was afternoon, the sun was beaming down… Everyone was there, happy, playing.

"Sorry. I was having a bad dream…"


	2. Two

Later that night, Riku found himself back at his house, in his room. The sun was beginning to set and he grew more and more frantic. What was he to do? He knew that the previous time it had been a dream, a silly day dream, but now, in the fading light it felt more and more real.

He checked each bulb in the halogen lights that really did circle the room, all of them in great condition, as were the batteries nestled in the base. He went to the windows, closing them before it was too late, and making sure they were locked tight before closing both blinds and curtains. Next came the phone, which he disconnected from the jack and unplugged, and then the radio which was unplugged and stripped of its batteries.

Last was the cell phone, which he used to call Sora. He heard ringing, and then a click, but this time, the line was alive. "Hello, Kashoku residence…"

"I'd like to speak with Sora please," rushed Riku, and then, his heart stopped.

"We're sorry we missed you call, but if you'll leave your name and you number and who you're calling for, we'll get back to you in no time. Arigato and bye-bye!"

Riku practically dropped the phone, a despairing curtain drawing closed over his falling face. He fiddled with his phone, after hanging up, and decided to try Sora's cell phone. The ringing began, as excruciating pain. "C'mon, c'mon…" hissed Riku, crossing his fingers.

"Hey, this is Sora…" started the voicemail, and Riku felt as if he'd been stabbed in the heart with a frozen and coarse-bladed knife. He was ready to hang up when he heard it. "…Riku?" Was that Sora's voice, or was that the blood-chilling voice he wished to never hear again?

"… Sora?"

"Hey, Riku!" said the young man's upbeat voice in a roundabout manner. "What's up?"

"Uh… Where are you?"

"Oh, I'm a Kairi's for dinner… Why?"

"Well, I called your house and you weren't home… so I was just wondering…"

"Oh. What'd ya need?"

"Do you want to spend the night?"

"Sure, let me ask." A few minutes passed and Riku grew more and more paranoid, all the lights in the hall on for his fear of the dark, even though there clearly wasn't a dark cloud in the sky. Still, if the creature could turn off his battery operated lights, you never knew…

"I can. So when should I come over?"

"As soon as you can…"

"Okay, I'll just head home and grab some things-"

"NO!" interrupted Riku, acting as if Sora were in the room with him at that very moment, darting forward as if to grab his arm and stop him. He felt his arm brush something, but he took no heed, as he saw nothing and it was most likely just a bug. "Just head straight here okay… You can borrow some clothes from me."

"'Kay," said Sora, seeming as if he had no worries and there wasn't anything but rainbows and butterflies in his life. "Uh… Is something wrong?"

"No, I just need you to get here… soon, before dark."

"Okay, okay, it's just across the street. Gosh, you'd think you were being murdered or something."

"Just hurry…"

"I did," said Sora, the doorbell ringing at that very moment.

Riku flipped his phone shut and tore downstairs, passing his startled mother and father, who were sitting in the formal living room reading after their three course supper. He opened the door before the butler had a chance to do so, grabbing Sora's arm and dragging him quickly inside before slamming the door and locking it.

"Uh… Hi," said Sora, raising his hand slightly to wave in greeting to Riku, his eyes wide open in shock. "There's something wrong."

"Quiet. Not here," hissed Riku to him, taking him by the arm and beginning back up the stairs, giving Sora only enough time to wave and greet Riku's parents politely, but not enough for him to hear their polite replies.

Once they had reached Riku's room, the silver-headed teenager slammed the door, locking the three sliding locks, the two deadbolts, and the five padlocks behind him.

"Uh… I don't remember those," said Sora, quite stunned by Riku's erratic behavior.

"It's a security precaution."

"Did you learn it on a cartoon? I learn lots of things from car-" Sora was interrupted by Riku slapping a hand over his mouth, the only sound in the room their very quiet breathing. Sora confused, kicked Riku, causing him to yelp and Sora glared at him.

"HEY! What's the big idea?" He demanded, his face obviously registering confused fury. Riku was sure acting different, _very, very _different. It made no sense. He saw the silver-haired boy relax and raised a chocolate brown eyebrow. "Um… Explanation?…"

"Oh," said Riku, seeming to only have noticed him for the first time. "Sora… Don't think I'm crazy… Please…"

"Sure, just tell me what the heck's going on!"

"Okay, okay… Keep it down…" Riku sighed, sitting down on the floor, inside the circle of halogen lanterns, all of them burning brightly. Sora eyed them in a confused, slightly alarmed way, but chose to focus on Riku, who would no doubt tell him what was going on.

"It started a couple months ago, on a stormy night… I began to see strange things, like shadows that weren't shadows… They were real, they could move, take on forms… And they could kill. I remember the first time I saw one I thought it was kinda cute, like a stuffed animal, big yellow eyes, huge black head, tiny body… Kinda like a beetle, but then… I saw what it did. There was a bird flying by it, it reached out its arm, like the lady in the movie we saw last week, an inviting way… The bird tried to land on it, but the creature… _monster _was too quick. It shot its hand out, stabbing the bird though the chest and then, there was this light… The creature's hand was outside the bird, a bright red glow around it, and the bird just hung in the air motionless… Before it disappeared. Then, the creature… it ate the red light… I… I think it was the bird's heart…"

Sora stared at Riku, his eyes wide, before laughing heartily, rolling backwards on his haunches clutching his sides.

"SORA!"

The brunette calmed, propping himself up on one elbow, but his eyes still shone with laughter. "Sorry, Riku, but you gotta admit, it _is _pretty out there. Maybe you should watch less TV? Play fewer video games?"

"Sora, it was _real._"

"Right, and so are Grandfather Winter and the tooth fairy…" Sora rolled his eyes, looking around the room again. "Riku, what's with all the lights?"

"So they can't get me… The shadows, I mean."

"Wouldn't light make _more _shadows? And what makes you so sure they're out to get you?"

There was a pound at the window. Both boys' heads snapped around, glancing to the drawn curtains.

"What was that?" asked Sora, standing and beginning to head for the window.

Riku stood, grabbing his arm to stop him. "No… Sora, don't. It's… _them._"

Sora's eyes widened. "Okay, okay. You got me," he said as there was another pound on the window, "Great prank and everything, but it's a little old now. So who's in on it besides you? Kairi? Tidus?"

"Sora… This isn't a prank. Think about it, there's not a ledge outside my window, either of them."

"There could be a tree," said Sora, shakily, obviously growing frightened.

Riku shook his head. "You know there isn't." His voice was so quiet, Sora wondered if they were hiding.

"Open… the… window…" hissed the blood-curdling voice, and Riku felt all the symptoms of fear it caused, noticing Sora's knees beginning to quiver.

"Riku, this isn't funny anymore."

"I know… But I can't stop it."

"Riku…" Sora gasped, the voice knew Riku? So it was a prank? "Sora…" Riku's eyes widened. It knew Sora was there with him… He had just endangered the life of his best friend. "OPEN THE WINDOW!"

The storm-glass could be heard rattling, pounding now on either side of the house. Sora whimpered. "Riku… Please, don't do this anymore… I'm scared. Are you happy? Your prank worked."

The lights all went out simultaneously, even the battery operated ones. The TV screen went blank, it didn't even fade until it was a smaller and smaller point of light like when one presses the "power" button. The computer screen blacked out. Even the neon green glow of the digital alarm clock faded, until neither boy could read 7:16 p.m.

"I know, Sora… But I'm not doing it. I'm scared too."

"Riku… Sora…"

The room chilled with the voice, as if a cold wind had passed through, and the door was thrown open, only neither boy saw the luxuriously illuminated hallway of Riku's home. The doorway opened into nothing. They could see darker shapes in the nothingness, things like rocks or jutting pieces of land… And moving shadows, thousands of them, all with piercing yellow eyes. That wasn't what was in the room though.

Sora saw Riku tense, and he did the same, as the apparition in front of both boys became visible. First, a pinprick of yellow, orange, red, swirling, detestable colors.

"Wh… What is it, Riku?"

It moved forward, and Sora's question was answered immediately. The pinprick, the vortex of warm colors was a cold, inhuman eye, an eye that seemed to pierce through both of their bodies, their minds, their souls. Then the white, the white that faded into crimson, and then nothingness. Sora guessed them to be teeth, but the crimson, what was that?

"Blood," answered the harsh, malevolent voice, the gruesome mouth twisting into hideous shapes as the mono-syllable was spoken.

Sora quivered and felt as if his mind would go numb, as if an arrow had been shot through his brain. The creature could read his thoughts. An eerie dark light shone, as if not light, but shadow was illuminating the room. The teenagers recoiled in horror.

The creature's skin was mottled, white, like paper so transparent, red patches like irritations riddling it, as if the blood vessels had burst and the blood had become oxygenated, and then stained the un-pigmented flesh. The head, most was invisible through a veil of dark, matted hair, looking both wet and dry at the same time, parts tangled invariably, other parts smooth as night. The eye colored so strangely, was sunken, deep shadows ringing it, and neither boy could tell how far it went into the skull. The mouth, twisted and fanged, was lipless it seemed. The body, rather long and thin, was bony, as if the creature never fed, and the fingers, long and sinister, did not end in the usual rounded manner, but rather in vicious, blood-stained points. Looking down to bare feet, they saw the toes were the same. The creature wore some type of soiled gray shroud, the cloth in tatters and rags, and the creatures ragged breathing caused no movement whatsoever.

It stared at them, and they stared at it, none spoke a word.

"What do you want?" asked Riku, trying to be bold, but his voice coming out weak and pitched much higher than normal.

"I want… you to die."


End file.
